by anyajulia | Apr 2, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita, National News
In a brief visit by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Bohol yesterday, the President signed into law the amendments to Republic Act 7323; the “Act Strengthening and Expanding the Coverage of the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES)” or SPES as commonly known.
The signing took place at the Bohol Wisdom School Gymnasium during the launching of the SK’s “Sama-sama para sa Kalikasan” Green Philippines Project.
House Bill No. 5388 / Senate Bill No.2116, the measure will strengthen and expand the coverage of the SPES for poor but deserving students during the Christmas and summer vacations.
Under SPES, some of the salient provisions are:
(1) Employment of poor but deserving students during Christmas and summer vacations; (2) Payment of minimum wages; (3) Inclusion of the work period as part of the probationary period for those who will subsequently be employed in the same company who hired them under SPES; (4) Conversion of the student’s work into equivalent academic credits for work activities related to their course; and (5) Provision of option for LGUs to assume the responsibility of paying in full the salary of students under the SPES.
by anyajulia | Apr 1, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
President Gloria Macapgal-Arroyo arrived at Bohol today, to grace the formal launching of the “Sama-sama para sa Kalikasan”, and also to sign into law today the amendments to Republic Act 7232 or “Act Strengthening and Expanding the Coverage of the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES)” to be held at the Bohol Wisdom School Gymnasium.
Arroyo was welcomed at the Tagbilaran Airport by local officials nonetheless. They were led by Gov. Erico Aumentado, Mayor Dan Neri Lim, 1st District Rep. Edgar Chatto, 2nd District Rep. Roberto Cajes, 3rd District Rep. Adam Jala, SK National Federation President Jane Cajes, SK Secretary-General Patrick Bench Marco, and SK VP for Visayas Karl Giuseppe Gumban.
Afterwards, Arroyo together with the local officials proceeded to the Bohol Wisdom School where they were welcomed by 4,500 SK members and media.
The launch started with an Opening Message by SK President Jane Cajes followed by the signing into the SPES now known as Republic Act. 7323. And lastly, Arroyo gave her Message. After which, she was given a cake to celebrate her coming Birthday this April 5.
The launching ended with a concert from Bamboo and Nikki Gil.
by anyajulia | Mar 31, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
WITH over 90% of the town anti-rabies workers enabled to implement the law, it may not be long before Bohol gets the 80% target accomplishment for its dog registration and vaccination program, sources from the Provincial veterinarian say.
An accomplishment less than 80% would not be tolerable, especially in a tourist province.
In Bohol’s 47 towns and a city, only five town’s anti-rabies workers remain to be trained in para-legal measures to try cases on the violation of the Anti-Rabies Ordinance.
With the trainings, town anti-rabies workers get sterner bite to “force a reduction of stray dog population and make owners decide to keep or eliminate,” anti-rabies council said.
Bohol officials were alarmed over reports that Bohol top-rated in Central Visayas’ human rabies cases, a record that consequently dragged the region in the country’s top five watch areas.
With a tourism industry booming, a threat of rabies is indeed one Bohol could not just shrug, Governor Erico Aumentado once said.
According to the Provincial Veterinarian, Bohol Rabies Prevention and Eradication Program authorities need yet to complete the para legal training for the Bantay Rabies sa Barangay in Tagbilaran City, San Isidro, Talibon, Anda and Duero before the council shifts gears.
By shifting gears, more drastic means would be implemented to arrest rabies threat.
Now on its second attempt to make Bohol rabies free after getting near rabies free rating in the 90’s, anti-rabies council banks on the people to transform the program into a sustainable kind, says veterinarian Dr. Stella Marie Lapiz.
In the late 90’s, the Capitol used government funds to counter the threat. Now egging to go sustainable, the council plans to use dog-owner’s responsibility, to co-share the rabies prevention program.
On the other hand, Bohol Sangguniang Panlalawigan through Vice Governor Julius Caesar Herrera has passed the enabling ordinance to institute the program in the municipalities. This too was complemented by a recent executive order issued by Governor Aumentado to engage the people into observing an annual anti-rabies month.
The ordinance puts up penal provisions for pet-owners who refuse to register, vaccinate and take care of bite victims caused by their dogs. It also established a mechanism for complaints so as to allow people to actively participate in the program, council members explained.
Wanting to go slow but sure on the program, the Rabies Prevention and Eradication Council has opted to put in massive information dissemination while enabling the local counterparts in the villages to make the program work.
After all these, we expect people to be more conscious of their responsibilities as dog owners, Council members agree. (rachiu/PIA)
by anyajulia | Mar 31, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita, National News
MASSIVE multiple role-playing game anyone?
This time however, it is not the usual multi-level online games generation Ragnarok is so notorious of, but for the environment.
The country’s premier youth instituted organization is now inviting everyone to join an activity aimed to generate massive multiple action, to trigger the greening of the Philippines and mitigate the effects of climate change.
“We hope to engage and mobilize our 16 regional directors to start their own regional pro-environment action programs to realize the Green Philippines Project that the president has initiated,” Sangguniang Kabataan National Federation (SKNF) President Jana Censoria Cajes said.
SKNF executive assistant Jubelyn N. Pulgarinas also shared the details of the same project plan at the recent Kapihan sa PIA, Thursday.
The forum aired live over DyTR also afforded Boholanos the chance to hear for themselves the recent program developments in local SK youth advocacy and the environment.
Relying on triggering a critical mass of the country’s young in the same manner as online-internet game followers can amass in a day, SK also hopes to generate that much to break-ground for the project.
To be organized under the SK through its national federation, the ambitious plan, called Sama-Sama para sa Kalikasan (SK) would be enjoining the youth to a journey, not to ragna-land but to the final fantasy, a later version of a better world.
The SDNF would be launching the program during the national convention in Bohol this week, SK Bohol staff Chris John Torralba bared.
The convention, set March 31 to April 3 at the Bohol Tropics puts up 122 of the country’s top youth organization leaders in a gathering themed Kabataan: Gabay sa Makakalikasang Aksyon.
The convention would be capped with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo launching the SK National Environment Campaign, which will signal the start or organized massive tree planting activities, intensified environment advocacy campaigns in schools and information education programs in different venues across the country.
Joining the president would be Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, SK sources said.
“With the felt climate change, it is high time for the youth, who have been unjustly labeled as carefree, to show that they too can make a difference,” Capitol SK’s Torralba said.
I believe the youth could do something, Torralba pressed even as another SKNF executive assistant Jubelyn Pulgarinas noted that there is already an indication that youth are starting to get involved in the community.
Unlike then when SK is associated with discos and sports leagues, Pulgarinas said much of the youth now is into youth and environment advocacies, “but we need society to guide them, help them with the available resources and acknowledge their efforts”.
In Bohol, a parallel organization implementing SK programs is the Volunteer Club (SKVC), one which has been into more radical environment conservation and damage mitigation by engaging in mangrove planting and rehabilitation projects, shares Ann Crusit, SKVC president.
“This is also what we hope to do as our little contribution to the global effort to take care of the only planet we have,” she added. (rachiu/PIA)
by anyajulia | Mar 31, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
IT would be another “armed struggle” with former rebels now peace converts as Bohol Vice Governor Julius Caesar Herrera gave them seeds of hope to start anew.
The peace converts, or more popularly known in Bohol as “kauban sa reporma” (KR) belong to the latest batch of rebel returnees decided stopping their pursuit of a lost war.
The new “armed struggle” is essentially one that uses the KRs arms in tilling the soil and produce food from the sweat of their brow.
Still stigmatized as former extremists, the 26 returnees here found themselves hard up in finding livelihood opportunities much less, the capital to start a decent life anew.
Through the Office Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the government, with the help of local officials here succeeded in granting P20T livelihood assistance.
Seeing that majority of these peace converts decide to be anonymous farmers, the vice governor, who heads the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s Agriculture committee found the perfect opportunity to recruit new allies.
The seeds, a complete Pinoy pinakbet pack consists of ampalaya, eggplant, squash, okra, string beans and tomatoes were each given to peace converts as starter seed set to germinate at home, Herrera said.
This may be a real small thing, but great beginnings start from here, Herrera said in the vernacular as he elaborated on the parallel effort growing the seeds of hope in the government’s honest peace initiatives.
In his engagements across the province, Herrera has been convincing people to go back to agriculture as a response to the global crisis that threatens to shake rock-steady economies across the globe.
He shared his dreams of keeping backyard gardens so that families can cut on spending costs.
Consequently, Herrera has been on the recruiting binge to convince people of the vision for food sufficient Bohol.
In support of his personal crusade, the province of Bohol has recently allotted P1M more to feed the Herrera dream of food security, shared Provincial Administrator Tomas Abapo during the awarding ceremonies last week. (rachiu/PIA)
